In The #MeToo Era, People Aren't Here For Kobe's Oscar Win Because Of His Rape Allegations

Kobe may have made black history, but there's levels to this for many.

| March 05 2018,

6:49 pm

Retired basketball star Kobe Bryant made history as the first black person to win an Oscar for Best Animated Short during the 90th Academy Awards. Bryant received the statuette for his film, Dear Basketball, and although his win was a win for black history, anger erupted on social media following the announcement.

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The backlash arose due to Bryant's previous rape allegations, something brought into sharp relief in the era of Weinstein, #MeToo and #TimesUp.

For background context, Bryant was accused of rape by a 19-year-old hotel employee back in 2003. Bryant called the encounter consensual, and the matter was eventually settled out of court after Bryant publicly apologized.

“Although I truly believe this encounter between us was consensual, I recognize now that she did not and does not view this incident the same way I did,” Bryan said previously according to ESPN. “After months of reviewing discovery, listening to her attorney and even her testimony in person, I now understand how she feels that she did not consent to this encounter.”

Given that incident, folks took to Twitter to express their grievances with his win:

Kobe Bryant joins a long line of men who have both won an Oscar & have been accused of rape. #MeToo#Oscars— Stephen Miller (@redsteeze) March 5, 2018

So Harvey Weinstein gets kicked out of Hollywood and Kobe Bryant gets two jerseys retired and wins an Oscar in the same #metoo year. Simply amazing.— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) March 5, 2018

Let me get this straight. Last night's theme was all about treating women with respect. So who wins an #Oscar2018? @kobebryant, who was credibly accused of rape, paid the accuser a settlement and issued her a written apology! Can't make this up?

Only in Hollywood, where you can have an #Oscars theme all about the #MeToo movement & simultaneously give an award to Kobe Bryant, who paid a settlement, & apologized in a rape case against him.Tinsel town is a nothing but a bunch of overpaid, big mouth hypocrites! pic.twitter.com/KnJZqo22Cs

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